DENVER, Jan. 28 /CSRwire/ - Liberty Global plc (“Liberty Global”) (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) has today joined many of Europe’s leading digital organizations by supporting the Davos Declaration on the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs.

The Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs, a multi-stakeholder partnership, was launched by the European Commission in response to a projected shortage of up to 900,000 ICT workers. With demand for skilled ICT workers exceeding supply, the Grand Coalition, developed under the guidance of the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, represents a commitment by the European ICT sector to boost digital skills and job creation through education and training opportunities, creating a pipeline of talent for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

To demonstrate its commitment to the Grand Coalition, Liberty Global has today announced its support for two innovative projects, CoderDojo and YouRock, which address the challenges of the ICT skills gap in Europe.

Liberty Global will join CoderDojo,an open source, global movement of free coding clubs for young people, as the first pan-European corporate donor, supporting over 60 new CoderDojos across Europe and reaching an additional 2,000 young people in 2014.

In addition, Liberty has become a key sponsor of YouRock, an employability platform for young people which encourages them to use their online creation activities to demonstrate their skills to employers. Liberty Global’s support will help YouRock to reach 200,000 young people across 11 European countries in 2014.

Responding to the announcement, James Whelton, Co-founder of CoderDojo, said, ''We're delighted and humbled that Liberty Global chose to support us, becoming our first pan-European corporate donor. Their support will aide us in spreading CoderDojo and digital skills throughout Europe, enabling us to reach many young people, giving them the opportunity to learn coding and become the next generation of creators.''

Ian Clifford, CEO of YouRock, commented, "I am really happy that Liberty Global is sponsoring YouRock, as it will help us to reach deep into Europe and build a system that will engage with young people. It’s critical to ensure that young people keep, or regain, the belief that they do have the skills that employers want, and to give employers a place to look for them.”

These new partnerships will sit alongside Liberty Global’s existing ‘promoting a digital society strategy’, helping people develop the skills and confidence they need to unlock the benefits of the online world. We do this through a range of programs that facilitate digital inclusion and protecting children online, including support for pan-European, multi-stakeholder initiatives like Get Online Week and the Esafety Label.

Commenting on Liberty Global’s Grand Coalition Pledge, Manuel Kohnstamm, Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer of Liberty Global, said, “The continuing high levels of youth unemployment in Europe are a challenge for us all, but the fact that up to 900,000 jobs in the ICT sector remain unfilled because of a skills gap gives the clearest indication possible of what needs to be done. These projects, and Liberty Global’s complimentary digital inclusion initiatives, have the potential to address the skills gap and bring a raft of new employment opportunities to Europe’s youth.”

About Liberty GlobalLiberty Global is the largest international cable company with operations in 14 countries. We connect people to the digital world and enable them to discover and experience its endless possibilities. Our market-leading triple-play services are provided through next-generation networks and innovative technology platforms that connected 24 million customers subscribing to 48 million television, broadband internet and telephony services at September 30, 2013.